source : http://www.livelifedrive.com/malaysia/news/view/204258/esc-three-letters-why-the-2014-proton-iriz-is-the-best-budget-car-for-you
ESC: Three Letters Why The 2014 Proton Iriz Is The Best Budget Car For You
We are proud to say the Proton Iriz marks the turning point for Proton, and we truly hope that the momentum from this transformation will continue.
The area that we are most impressed with is its safety. We have said it many times that ESC (electronic stability control), or as Proton calls it, VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control), is a must-have item for any new car. Ideally, we dare even to go as far as saying that "If a car does not come with ESC, ignore it and move along to the next one."
Safety advocate Euro NCAP also strongly recommends buyers to only choose cars with ESC and has since made ESC fitment a compulsory requirement to obtain the maximum Euro NCAP five-star rating. The same requirement has also been adopted by our region's ASEAN NCAP. All that changed when Proton introduced the Iriz today, which comes with ESC as a standard feature. For the first time in Malaysia's motoring history, ESC is available even on the cheapest grade of a budget car's model line-up. For less than RM43,000, you can now buy a car whose safety credentials are recognised by all the world's leading advocates in vehicle safety. Prior to this, the RM59,888 Kia Picanto is the cheapest car that you could buy that is equipped with ESC.
ESC prevents a car from skidding by automatically applying small amounts of braking force on any of the individual wheels - something which a human driver cannot do, to regain stability and prevent a skid. Like all safety features, ESC merely compensates for shortfalls in human ability. It is bounded by the laws of physics and is no substitute for careful driving.
The governments of Australia, Canada, European Union and USA have made ESC a compulsory feature in all new cars on sale, including light commercial vehicles. According to ESC supplier Bosch, as of 2012, 48 per cent of all cars sold worldwide are now fitted with ESC. ESC is a just generic name. Different car makers have developed their own ESC solutions and patented the technology under their own marketing acronym. For example, Honda calls its ESC as VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist) while Toyota calls theirs VSC (Vehicle Stability Control).
ASEAN NCAP's secretary general Mr. Khairil Anwar once told LiveLifeDrive.com, "Prevention is better than cure. That is our motto. But whatever the case, passive safety must be good enough. That is why I always say two airbags are good enough for protection, after that we should utilise our energy for active safety, for prevention. Those are the only two (minimum) things I want in safety - two airbags and ESC."
In the past, we have often questioned Perodua's decision of not offering ESC in its models. At the very least, we think it should be available in the highest variant.
But Perodua prefers to load up its highest range models with things like rear multimedia system, leather seats and body kits, rather than equipping its cars with an inexpensive life-saving feature.
Ironically, most of the accessories fitted are actually more expensive than ESC, which is already a very mature technology and uses the same hardware as anti-lock braking system (ABS). Thus there is actually very little additional cost in equipping a car with ESC. Limiting ESC's availability only to the higher range variants is driven more by marketing, a need to push customers towards purchasing a more expensive variant, than anything else.
Unlike Perodua, Proton operates on a much higher cost structure as it does not have the same scale as Perodua, and it needs to independently develop the entire car from the ground up. As such, it is much more challenging for Proton to offer ESC as a standard feature than it is for Perodua. So kudos to Proton for taking the more challenging path. As ESC is a standard feature, the Proton Iriz's five-star ASEAN NCAP rating is applicable across the entire Iriz model range. ESC is a compulsory feature to obtain the maximum five stars. So if you are looking for a car and don't wish to spend a lot on it, we highly recommend the Proton Iriz. As repeated by the FIA, ESC is like seat belts. If the other car that you are considering doesn't have it, then don't even bother wasting your time on it.
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发表于 28-9-2014 11:14 AM
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